225 



flDv> ©utDoor Hviarv. 



By H. R. Fir^T^MER. 



v'^Y/^Y aviary is a very unpretentious building — 

 I I / and I am far from holding it forth as a 

 I -^C/* model. My purpose in writing an account 

 ^ of it is chiefly to induce the owners of 



more ambitious aviaries to follow my example, and 

 give the readers of Bird Notes particulars of the 

 houses in which they keep their birds. At the same 

 time, I think the details of the building of my aviary 

 may be useful to those who think of erecting similar 

 structures. 



In my garden there is a grass-run for poultry, 

 enclosed with wire netting, and measuring about 50ft. 

 from north to south and about 30 ft. from east to west. 

 This run, and in fact the whole garden, lies on a 

 gentle slope towards the south, and is well protected 

 on the north and east by walls. There are a few 

 standard fruit trees in this run, and in the middle was 

 an old wooden fowl house, of flimsy construction, and 

 this was used as the nucleus of the aviary. My young 

 gardener first made a concrete floor to the fowl-house, 

 which strengthened the whole structure, and raised 

 the floor - level several inches above that of the 

 surrounding ground. He then nailed battens on to 

 the outside of the house, and over these covered the 

 sides with match-boarding f inch in thickness, thus 

 double-boarding it. The wooden roof was first felted 



